Face to Face
by Dave the Wordsmith
Summary: PostAC: Cloud and Tifa both have realizations about the strength of their relationship after the events of AC. How do they resolve their feelings for each other? Mostly TifaxCloud with a little VincentxYuffie as well.
1. Cloud's Thoughts

**Chapter One: Cloud's Thoughts**

Even though it had been a few weeks since the demise of Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo, & Loz, the events of what had occurred back then continued to linger within Cloud Strife's mind. Moving in with Tifa to continue the Strife Delivery Service felt as if it were a double-edged sword. On one hand, Cloud would be able to think less about a heavy commute between work and a place to stay. However, the thoughts of nomadically experiencing exciting unknowns and new challenges out there on his motorcycle would have to dissipate. The only new experiences left with his decision would be the deliveries he would have to make to his clients. On the other hand, the idea of taking a break and concentrating on what he felt would be a new passion brought a little spark of relief to help calm any second thoughts. Still in the process of moving the rest of his belongings into Tifa's new tavern, Cloud decided to stay with Barrett in North Corel for a few days. Living with Barrett proved to be easier than he thought, however, as Cloud noticed a growth of maturity in the big man.

_Deciding to take Denzel in with him was truly generous. Making somewhat of a spectacle of himself tonight during dinner, however, by challenging Denzel to a pie eating contest…was NOT._

A small laugh escaped from his previously sealed lips, the memory of Barrett covered completely in apple and crust remnants dripping from his face onto his clothes being the culprit to such an outburst. Remembering to quiet himself, Cloud covered his mouth quickly with his hands with a few snickers still slipping through his fingers as Barrett was in the room nearby sound asleep. Hearing the snoring resonate through the walls did not bother Cloud however, as he continued to lie comfortably on his back on top of his perfectly made bed. The former second leader of AVALANCHE stared densely into the white ceiling; the bright full moon brought its beams through his bedroom window, hitting the still fully dressed Cloud across his body. Many images of people and events from the past few years flashed onto the pale backdrop as if it were a movie projector from a movie theater displaying a particular movie to an anxious audience. The projection of Aerith walking into the bright void with Zack after looking back at the blonde man replayed on that "screen" with Cloud's response to Aerith's last words to him echoing numerous times as if they were traveling through an echo chamber. As if they were haunting him.

_I know I'm not alone…_

_**I know I'm not alone…**_

_Not anymore…_

_**Not anymore…**_

The emotional burden of the geostigma being released from Cloud's body after the water pooled within Aerith's church touched his skin made the blonde warrior feel as if the entire world had been lifted off of his shoulders.

_No more pain…but Aerith was right…_

_I feel like I have to move on…_

_I'm not alone…not anymore…_

_I've got Barret…Cid…Nanaki…Yuffie…_

A little chuckle slipped out of Cloud's lips after murmuring the young woman's name in his head, but as quick as his laugh was he was able to regain his composure.

_Cait Sith…Reeve…_

_Tifa…_

…_Tifa_

_Tifa._

The two syllables that vibrated softly within Cloud's mind to create the name of the brunette he has known since childhood created somewhat of a soft, yet tingly warm feeling inside his heart. He had known that he had what were hidden, yet deep feelings for Ms. Tifa Lockheart. Those emotions did not reach the surface, however, due to the emergence of Aerith Gainsborough. Sighing at Aerith's name floating through the recesses of his thoughts, Cloud wiped a few beads of sweat off of his brow and continued to stare into the colorless space hanging above him.

_The feelings for her…I can't explain in words. She will always remain in my heart. She was special. I'll admit that._

_But Tifa…_

_Tifa…_

An epiphanic volcano erupted within Cloud Strife's mind as the final mention of her name brought his own interpretations of the lava-filled truths and thoughts from Aerith's last message flowing and ebbing to form the last things needed to start the idea that had not been pondered before.

_Maybe…_

_Yeah…_

_Now I know what Aerith meant…_

_Tomorrow…is the day I make my move._


	2. Tifa's Thoughts

**Chapter Two: Tifa's Thoughts**

"Take care, and Happy Holidays!"

After those words flowed out of her soft lips to the final customer leaving the tavern, Tifa carefully returned to what she was last doing and washed some old and tarnished food scraps from the last plate left in the sink. Tifa Lockheart sighed in relief as this moment signaled the moment she could finally relax and enjoy her two weeks off for the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays. Shivering a bit from a sudden breeze of cold air hitting her shoulders from the front door remaining open, Tifa draped her dark gray polyester jacket lying in front of her on the counter around her neck and walked over to the door. Slowly closing it, she turned the lock and pressed her back against the door, allowing a soft, somber sigh to finally escape from her lungs.

_It's not the same without Cloud here…_

Cid, Yuffie, and Vincent had helped in moving all of Cloud's things and possessions back into the 2nd floor bedroom that would be his room in the tavern next to Tifa's own. The memories of Tifa finding out Yuffie had found Cloud's old materia box and had second thoughts of taking it flooded back into her memory banks. Trying to stop Yuffie before she could open the small wooden box, the young ninja flipped open the top only to scream after discovering a few plastic snakes popping out from the opening to her. Chuckling quietly to herself, Tifa reminded Yuffie that it was one of Denzel's toys and wondered how it had gotten into Cloud's box of belongings.

"_**Damnit Tifa! That scared me half to death!"**_

"_**I tried to stop you, Yuff!"**_

"…"

"_**You just don't listen to people when you're supposed ta, kid!"**_

"_**Shut up Cid!"**_

Laughing out loud after that event passed from her daydream, Tifa smiled a little at the thought of Cloud once again.

_It's not the same…_

_**Really?**_

_Yes._

Tifa answered her conscious asking that one-word question almost before it could finish. Grabbing a nearby chair from one of the tables sitting close to the front door, the brunette fighter stared out into the snowy darkness, looking at the other shops and stores with their illuminating windows shining brightly almost as if they were lighthouses to provide most of the light able to provide visibility to the town of Edge.

_I used to love winter time back at Nibelheim…_

_But here, it can't compare to that…_

_God, I hope Denzel and Marlene are well…I'll call them tomorrow and see how they are…_

_**Tifa! You just called Barret and talked to them this morning! Barret also said they're fine! Give it a rest!**_

_sigh Fine…_

Languidly walking upstairs to her bedroom, Tifa got down on one bended knee, clasped her hands together in front of her face, and slowly closed her heavy-feeling eyes. Feeling the darkness, that was astutely her eyelids, beginning to enclose her vision with a solemn blackness, Tifa took a few moments to pray for the return of that certain someone to return before retiring to her slumber.

_Please…let him have a safe return to Edge tomorrow. There's supposed to be a horrible snowstorm and I hope he'll be able to make it with Barret in time for Christmas Eve._

_Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzz---_

Quickly slamming the alarm reset button with the palm of her hand, Ms. Tifa Lockheart calmly cracked open her warm, brown eyes to see the pale, gray sky with a few dim sunbeams shining through the thick, melancholy clouds hovering through the air. Getting up to look out her window, Tifa adjusted one of the straps of her black, silk nightgown and noticed a few snowflakes drifting down to the ground past her window.

_Good…the storm hasn't started yet…_

_But I hope you make it Cloud Strife._

_I hope so._


	3. The Setup

**Chapter Three: The Setup**

"**Walk straight,** for a final solution!  
**Walk straight**, don't you be so cold!  
**Walk straight** with a clear resolution!  
**I'll state my case and never turn…**"

-Soilwork, "Nerve"

_----------------_

**Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!**

"Yo Spike! Get up bruh! We got to get to Edge before that snowstorm starts, man!" Barret knocked loudly on the guestroom door inhabiting the man nicknamed "Spike" and stopped for a moment, straightening out his light gray, padded vest which had been slightly wrinkled from his sudden movements. However, the pair of Mako green eyes glistened unknowingly behind the big man as Barret suddenly felt a slight tapping of a finger against his right shoulder blade. Turning around, Barret almost flinched at the sight of Cloud fully dressed and ready to go.

"I'm up, Barret."

"Damnit Spike! Next time, warn a brother where ya are before ya jus' pop outta nowhere 'n start talkin'!"

"…"

"Well, let's jus' get outta here 'den. Denzel 'n Marlene already finished eatin' their food, so let's grab a few small bites 'ta eat on the way 'ta Edge 'n bounce!"

"Okay."

Watching the sight of Barret's massive body going down the stairway to the kitchen, Cloud still stood at the top of the stairs; scratching the light blond hairs growing from his chin, he began to stare into blankness for a moment as his conscious began to rear its head.

_Hmmm…I haven't seen Barret this nervous since I've gotten here. What's going on? I'll have to see…_

"**Spike, les' go! Denzel & Marlene are already gone with Elmyra and da' truck's ready for us to go!"**

"…All right."

Going down those stairs to Cloud felt like an eternity had passed for each step he managed to cross, the moment of returning to Edge filling his heart with a mixture of anxiousness and excitement at the same time. Looking back upstairs before he headed out the front door, the blonde warrior let loose a little smirk on his face before closing the creaky door with confidence.

_Well, Aerith…hope you're watching this wherever you are._

_Because, Tifa…here I come._

_----------------_

"Hahaha! I know, right? … He can be so crazy at times. … Riiiiiiii - ight! Like the part where he was talking about how he slept with his ex-wife, his girlfriend's sister, his other girlfriend, and even his SECRETARY!"

Tifa laughed heartily some more, throwing her head back in genuine interest on the topic being discussed over the PHS sandwiched intuitively between her ear and shoulder while carefully mixing her Caesar salad, crunchy croutons, and light lemon dressing in the large wooden bowl in front of her. It had been several hours after waking up to the monotone buzzing of her alarm clock to begin vacuuming, dusting, preparing the list of items for the Christmas Eve dinner, and get the tavern changed into a little get-together before the evening arrived.

But to Tifa, it was just a regular routine.

"Right…but Yuff…you know how MEN can be! So…so…what's the word…? Riiiiiiiight! Chauvinistic! But –" Tifa paused for a minute, listening to the ninja's reply as she continued her small talk.

"Yeah…Cloud? What about him?"

The tone of Tifa's voice seemed almost defensive as the name of her childhood friend and confidant was brought up. Taking a small sip of her green tea methodically prepared in her usual favorite china tea cup, Ms. Tifa Lockheart placed herself comfortably horizontally on the sofa, the PHS still in her favorite spot to converse in while still having her hands free.

"…Well…you know…he IS coming today, so…Yeah, yeah, yeaaaaaaaah, whatever. You know what I mean, Ms. Kisaragi…"

Taking another sip, Tifa felt that the topic was about to change. Her intuition was right.

"Uh huh…yeah, well you and Mr. Vincent have been together for a while now…right…ri –"

_PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHT!_

A small stream of tea sprayed forcefully from between Tifa's pursed lips and teeth almost as quickly as the words from Yuffie's mouth crawled into Tifa's ear.

"You're KIDDING me, right? You mean, you and Vincent are thinking of jumping the broom next year? Tying the knot, getting hitched, writing each others' prison sentences, THAT?!"

"…"

"Well you know I didn't mean it like that, I'm just saying Yuffie…it was just an unexpected announcement!"

"_**But Teef…" **_Yuffie's voice increased in concern; enough for her high voice to be heard away from the PHS itself. Tifa's hairs on the back of her neck rose as a few anxious feelings rose within the pit of her stomach. _**"Back to you. You know how you feel about Cloud, right? When he comes tonight, you should see if he's REALLY interested in you."**_

"What do you mean?"

"_**Well…you shouldn't be wasting your time wondering about what could be, right? So what I would do is dress real nice, give a lil' eye contact & smile & all that, 'n see if he responds, ya know?"**_

"Yuff…you serious?"

"_**Yeah, Teef…I mean…if he's a man about his and he does care about ya, he'll do what he has to do and step to ya! Tonight until Christmas Day has to make or break him! Either he steps up to the plate, or find someone else Teef!"**_

"Yuffie…"

"_**Come on Teef, let's be real here. You don't wanna end up like Dorothy and the Golden Girls, right?"**_

The two women began to laugh in unison as Tifa reached into her salad bowl with her fork for a bite of her Caesar salad perfectly prepared for her to indulge in.

Sigh "I guess you're right, Yuff…"

_----------------_

"Ya know Spike…it's been a while since we done had da chance ta talk man ta man, mano-e-mano…" Barret mentioned, shifting up to next gear in the truck carrying them through the light snow falling down on their windshield.

"Yeah…" Cloud patted his hands uncomfortably on his thighs, staring out his passenger seat window into the empty haze of dark, gray clouds up top, and the pale white sheet covering the ground.

"So what's been goin' on wit' ya man…ya know, as far as you and how ya doin'?"

"…"

"Spike…ya know you can trus' me! I ain't gonna tell nobody!" Barret raised his right hand in solemn promise, remembering to put it back down on the stick to shift into the next gear.

_Why is Barret talking about this now?_

"…"

"Well, fine 'den…that's cool. We can just talk about somethin' else 'den…"

The sound of Barret's voice shrunk significantly of its earlier enthusiasm and intrigue of his colleague's life.

_I wonder about Spike sometimes…_

_**Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk about it…Barret seems reasonable to talk to. At least it isn't Cid.**_

"Barret…you promise right?"

"Fa 'sho Spike! It's jus' you 'n me who will know about this."

"Fine. You see…it's…"

A small moment of silence loudly began to fill the cabin of Barret's truck, as Cloud began to look for the words to describe his plight.

"It's about Teef, right?"

The sound of her voice caused Cloud to almost flush in

"…"

"You think I ain't know about you 'n her, didja?"

"…"

"I seen you 'n her and the way the both of you look at each other. She's been givin' you the eye, bruh! She's waitin' on you ta make ya move!"

"…I know, it's just…I don't know what to say…"

"Listen, Spike…" Barret placed a light touch of Cloud's shoulder as he looked into his Mako green eyes for a small moment.

"Women, Spike…they're not that hard to understand once ya get into their minds. If she's givin' you 'da eye like 'dat, she's interested. It don't matter what ya say, you jus' have ta be confident, ya dig? That's how me 'n Elmyra got together. I was confident about myself and I figured, 'Hey…there's plenty of otha' women out 'dere. But hey, it's better ta give it a shot than ta not know what happens', ya know?"

"…Oh…"

"Yea…I mean, you could walk up ta her 'n say 'goonie goo goo'. She'll laugh about it and from 'dere, jus' say somethin' like 'I couldn't think of anythin' ta say but "goonie goo goo" but hey, I wanted ta say hi' and go from 'dere, bruh. It'll flow outta ya, you'll see."

"…Okay."

"Right…'n jus' don't talk too much. Get ta know about HER first; get her talkin' about her and how she been feelin' lately, what's the last excitin' show on TV she watched, somethin' like dat. The las' thing a woman wants ta talk about is you all the time. If she asks about you, she's very interested in ya', so jus' be brief & quick to the point and shift the convo back ta' her. Women love 'dat."

"…"

"…"

After a long moment of silence, the turning of Cloud's smiling face to look into Barret's eyes staring forward on the road caused the big man to look back and give a little smirk back.

"Barret…since when did you become Hitch?"

"Spike…" Barret turned the radio down, previously tuned to the weather station. "…One thing I forgot 'ta tell ya was back before AVALANCHE…"

"…Yeah?"

"'Dey used 'ta call me 'da Love Doctor!"

Slapping his hand onto his forehead, Cloud's head tilted back and busted out with light laughter at Barret's returning excitement and enthusiasm in his voice. Returning the chuckles, Barret headed to the off-ramp lane of the highway that would take them to the connecting highway leading to Edge.

"Wait, Barret…let's listen to the weather station. We have to find out what the weather will be soon."

"Spike, don't worry! Look! The snow's coming down light, there's no hail, no storms in sight!"

"I'm gonna listen anyway."

Turning the volume back up, Cloud leaned back a little in his seat and closed his eyes, silently envisioning the meeting of Tifa and himself at the tavern. The two of them reunited. Once again.

_ERRRRRRRRT! ERRRRRRRRT! ERRRRRRRRT!_

_This is the Edge Weather News, and this is the forecast for today…light snow here in the surrounding areas of Edge. However, if you're on the 458 Freeway heading to Edge, prepare for a small traffic jam due to a little accident on the side of the road._

"Damnit…" Barret grumbled, banging his fist on the steering wheel.

"Well, at least we'll be there in time."

"The thing is, Spike, I had a little surprise for Elmyra saved at the tavern when we get back."

"…What is it, Barret?"

"…"

"…"

"…A ring."


	4. Crunch Time

**Chapter Four: Crunch Time**

_----------------_

**A/N:** Thank you, thank you, and thank you to misanthropic angel, Diamond Moonlight, and macalaniaprincess for reading this and taking the time to review also. I have so many ideas and thoughts flowing through my mind while making this, and reviews keep me going. This is also my first fic; I've been interesting in writing for a while, and after seeing FF:AC a few times I was inspired to write a story I felt I wanted to continue the story with. But I digress. To make this short, I may update Christmas Day night or I may wait until the 26th to take a break, I'm still deciding on this. But I hope everyone who reads this, enjoys the story. I've still got quite a few chapters to go before it's complete, so be on the lookout for updates. And thanks again everybody!

_----------------_

_It's a shame Reeve and Nanaki can't make it…Cid almost didn't either, but he should be here too._

While waiting for a few more hours on the turkey to finish carefully roasting in the oven, Tifa Lockheart sat down tiredly on the soft, leather sofa, fitting in a small "time-out" segment of her time to relax and clear her thoughts. Crossing her right instinctively over her left, she could feel her foot begin to dangle nervously and quickly switched from her right to her left. The words of her comrade Yuffie Kisaragi reverberating from last night's conversation left Tifa's mind in a slight daze and left an afterthought of whether or not what the ninja was suggesting for her to do was true.

_Maybe she's right…_

_I mean…I __**don't**__ want to be like Dorothy and her friends, all alone and still looking for another mate in my elder years…_

_But…I feel like Cloud is the one for me. The only question is…how long will I have to wait to see if it's actually true?_

Running her soft hands through her long, silky, black hair to help relieve some tension, it was no longer as long as it was in previous months and years; rather, it was cut shoulder length and lay comfortably on her small, yet strong shoulders.

"_**Tonight has to make or break him! Either him, or find someone else Teef!"**_

Sighing softly after hearing Yuffie's words burst into her conscious, Tifa could barely take another sip of her tea when the doorbell rang its pleasant three soft musical tones from what sounded like a grand piano. Walking over to the door, an eerie, uneasy feeling began to fill her stomach. Her feet feeling as if they were being crushed by heavy ankle weights, the brunette brushed a few hairs out of the way of her eyes and smoothed out some of the frizzes from her hair before slowly heading to the front door.

"Coming!"

Opening the door, a short red-haired man wearing a matching dark, blue blazer and pants, white button-up shirt, and shiny, black boots greeted Tifa with a somewhat straight, serious face. Held within his hand was a small, brown box marked "Urgent Delivery: A Surprise" stamped in bright red letters on the front.

"Excuse me ma'am, I have a package here for a, uh, Mr. Cloud Strife."

"He's not here but I'll take it for him, we live together."

"Okay, thank you ma'am. I'll just need you to initial on this clipboard here, here, and here."

Nodding after the man finished speaking with a somewhat southern drawl inflected in his voice, Tifa took out a pen and marked the correct spots and carefully took the package within her hands. Closing the door after he began to leave in his delivery truck, Tifa stared at the small package, small enough to fit within the palm of an ordinary-sized hand, and noticed the return address scribbled in the upper left of the face of the box. Her light brown eyes widening at the realization of who the name belonged to, Tifa's mind began to churn in thought about what it could be.

_It says it's from Cloud…could it be…_

…

_Oh my god…_

_----------------_

"Hit me, Spike."

"You sure Barret?"

"Damnit Spike, when I say hit me, I mean it, bruh! **Hit me**!"

"All right. But I'm warning you."

"Jus' do it."

"Okay, here you go…"

"Yeah, give me ya best shot."

"…"

"Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!"

"…"

"…I should've jus' neva' asked…"

"…"

Taking the cards thrown down onto the console in the middle of the cabin of the truck by the big man in front of him, Cloud seized the rest of the playing cards of the deck and began to carefully shuffle and mix them around. Shaking his head, Cloud began to pass out two cards to Barret as well as himself and slapped the rest of the deck face down.

"Man…I swear, if 'dis game was 23 instead o' 21, I'd be a millionaire…fa' real…"

"…"

"Yea man…we've been stuck in this traffic for about an hour now. No off ramp for about another few miles…and that's our exit too, damnit…"

"Right."

"…"

"…"

"Okay, I have a King…and a Jack. Barret. Hit me."

Barret began to chuckle, misjudging Cloud's decision to continue to play his hand of 21.

"Boy I tell ya…you've got guts man…"

Reaching into the deck, Barret handed the top card to Cloud face down. Receiving the next card to have in his possession, Cloud looked down as his hand unknowingly had already flipped it over for only him to see. Keeping a "poker face", the blonde, Mako green eyed man placed the card in front of him next to his King of Hearts and Jack of Spades.

"…"

"…"

"…21."

"Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! That's da' twelfth time in a row ya' got 21, Spike! You got x-ray vision or somethin'?"

"Let's just say…I've got a knack."

"Man…I'mma have ta' use ya' next time me 'n Elmyra go ta' Gold Saucer at those 21 tables…**goddamn**, goddamn…"

"Barret, the traffic is clearing up."

"It's about time, man…now I can turn ma' engine back on and get 'dis show on 'da road!"

Turning the ignition key clockwise to its' starting position, the truck began to turn on as Barret pushed the gas pedal a few times for the engine to finally begin revving regularly. Flipping the turn-signal switch to the right position, Barret started to slowly follow a few other cars getting on the exit to the highway that would lead to downtown Edge, not too far from their destination.

"By da' way, Spike, I hope it was okay o' me using yo' address at 'da tavern."

"No problem, Barret."

"Yeah, I mean…I don't get why 'da mayor wanna all a sudden start regulatin' who can send mail 'ta who & who can't? North Corel ain't got no problems wit' him, but he want 'ta block North Corel 'fo' now' he says due ta' a few weak ass 'terrorist threats' goin' on. What a bunch o' BS…"

"…I know."

"But, I'm sure 'da package wit' da' ring for Elmyra was sent nice 'n on time."

"…Yeah."

_The only thing is…it had MY name on it._

_I wonder if…_

…

…

_Nah, she wouldn't look. She wouldn't._

…

…

_Right?_

_----------------_

"Hello Cid, glad you could make it!" Tifa held the door open long enough for Cid to bring his small suitcase with enough belongings to last for the night and for Christmas Day, much to Tifa's slight chagrin, wondering if was enough due to the guest room being a little small.

"Damn, Tifa! The food smellin' great, girl! Damn this place just bein' a tavern, make this a restaurant, too, damnit!"

Smiling a little from Cid's nice, yet somewhat vulgar compliment, a small, warm blushing feeling began to rise in Tifa's cheeks.

"Thanks Cid, but…where's Shera?"

Cid's smirk quickly changed into a small frown, his hands flinging into the air with each word filled with anger flying from his mouth.

"Damn flu goin' around, gettin' everybody sick…she got sick too. I tried to tell her behind ta' stay warm 'n up her Vitamin C 'n all that, but…hey…we're all not perfect, right?"

Cid managed to grumble through his lips, holding an unlit cigarette tightly in his mouth. Looking up the staircase, Tifa nodded as if she were able to read his mind, as the blonde pilot made his way up the stairs to where he would stay for the next day.

_Sigh_

Tifa began to place the remaining food items on the main table situated next to where the bar was located, carefully placing each dish in a position where everyone sitting would be able to look and see what it was.

_Ding…ding…Doooooong!_

"Coming!"

The lush, relaxing doorbell rang as the host of the get-together walked to the front door. Silently gulping a little gathering of saliva down her nervous, dry throat, Tifa reached for the doorknob and slowly opened it, the soft, yet cold winds seeping through the slightly-increasing crack of the door with each passing moment. The door finally open, her stomach began to return to its uneasy feeling as she realized who the two figures, one tall and one of slightly average height, were.

_It's Barret…_

_And Cloud…_

_They're here._

…

_He's here._


	5. Is This A Dream? Part 1

**Chapter Five: Is This A Dream? Part 1**

_----------------_

**A/N: **Sorry for the "little-longer-than-I-thought" break I took, but I needed the rest, LOL. And another thank you, thank you, and thank you to misanthropic angel, Diamond Moonlight, and macalaniaprincess for the R&R's, I really appreciate you guys for taking the time to do so. For this chapter, I had planned on having this be longer than this, but I intend to split this one up to multiple parts because it ended up being MUCH longer than I thought, so I should have the rest of this chapter up as the next few chapters soon. And thanks to everyone who's taking the time to read this, I appreciate it.

_----------------_

"…I'm hanging on your words **like I always used to do**,  
The words they use so lightly, **I only feel for you**,  
**I only know because I carry you around,  
In the background**…"

-Third Eye Blind, "The Background"

_----------------_

"Hey Tifa, how ya doin' girl? You're lookin' real nice tonight!" Barret genuinely grinned at the 5'4" brunette standing in front of him and Cloud, giving Tifa an unexpected "bear" hug in the process. Wearing a nice, black, silk georgette halter dress with matching black evening sandals, it was hard for Barret, and especially Cloud, to keep his eyes off of her. Showing a confused, uncomfortable grimace to Cloud as if to "help her", her expression quickly shifted back to a happy one once Barret was able to view her face once again. After his emotional display of welcome was finished, Cloud stepped to the side to get a full view of the one and only Tifa Lockheart in front of him in a new change of wardrobe. Tifa managed to move a few unwanted strands of hair out of view and regained her composure from Barret's "welcome", slightly moving her feet every once and a while for a reason she did not want to publicly admit.

_These shoes are KILLING the HELL OUTTA ME!_

"Fine Barret, and thanks…" Tifa could feel the sudden warm heat swarm throughout her cheeks as her eyes fell onto the blonde spiky haired man standing in front of her, slightly smaller than Barret's muscular, big and tall build. However, Barret's gruff voice managed to interrupt her sudden scattered imaginativeness and daydreams.

"Is Cid here?"

"Yes…he's upstairs in his guest room still. But make yourself at home, since it will be home for the next few days."

"Coo'…I jus' hope 'dat ninja don't try nothin' wit' me while I'm here…I swear, if she tries anythin' wit' me, 'dat's **IT**…"

Walking past Tifa toward the main room of the tavern and closing the front door, a small air of ambiguous feelings began to fill the space between Tifa and Cloud. The both of them continued to look into each others' eyes until Tifa felt she had to shatter the deafening silence.

"Hi Cloud…"

"…"

"…"

_Remember what Barret said…keep it interesting to her, don't talk too much about myself…and make her laugh._

"…Hi Tifa." Cloud managed to finally utter those two words he formed in his brain to flow from his mouth, stepping a little closer to Tifa so that he was about a foot apart from her.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you…" Tifa answered, looking down for a second while nervously crossing her left foot over the other before gazing back into Cloud's eyes. Suddenly feeling the soft, down-to-earth touch from Cloud's dark gloved hand on her lower arm, a small gasp sneaked away from her mouth as she saw a tiny, yet noticeable smile on his face.

"…You're welcome."

"…"

"…"

"I'm guessing you're thirsty, Cloud. Want the usual?"

"…If you don't mind."

Tifa opened the front door, peeking inside before turning back around to face Cloud again.

"No problem Cloud."

Barret quickly opened the door and nodded at the two childhood friends as the blonde pilot Cid Highwind followed right behind him. Saying his 'what's up' greeting to Cloud who returned it with a nod, Cid took a moment to step on his used cigarette and pulled one more out from the pack in his back pocket. Sighing, Mr. Highwind placed the cig between his lips, quickly lighting it with his small, red pocket lighter and put it away, a few light puffs of smoke floating away from the glowing red end of his "cancer stick".

"This is the last one for me…the doctor's told me it was best to, or else that's my ass! Plus Shera's been buggin' my damn ass about stoppin'! Damnit…"

"But you been goin' hard on those cigs lately man…what's up?" Barret gave Cid a concerned look, the latter crossing his arms in defense.

"Eh…I'll tell ya later."

"Well anyway…Me 'n Cid are gonna go check out 'dat new casino they built south of here. They say it's off 'da hook!"

"…All right." Cloud nodded at the two men in front of him.

"Okay, well be safe and have fun you guys!" Tifa added, as the two men began their way to Barret's truck to head on the freeway leading south.

"Yeah, plus you know…" Cid started laughing with a muffled giggle between his pursed lips and playfully punched Barret in his side, his cigarette bouncing up and down with each word being spoken. "I'm gonna beat your ass at cards like Cloud did…"

"Don't even start wit' that, man."

_----------------_

"Yuffie and Vincent aren't here yet?"

"No…" Tifa followed Cloud inside the tavern as she closed the door behind her. "They said they were still in traffic on the way here. You know how it is on Christmas Eve. Always crowded…"

"Yeah…" Cloud let a few moments of silence pass as he pondered as to what he should do next. An idea suddenly filled his head as he remembered some things he had picked up on the way to Edge and smiled at the possibilities of what could happen once they were brought into the picture.

_Well…it's better to try than to not try at all…_

"Teef, since Barret and Cid will be gone for a while, let's talk for a while and relax."

"Okay."

"Yeah, I'll be right back. I just have to take care of a few things."

Going upstairs to his "new room" with his backpack full of the previously mentioned items inside, Cloud took one last look behind him at Tifa before he made it to the second floor.

_It's either now…_

_Or never…_


	6. Is This A Dream? Part 2

**Chapter Six: Is This A Dream? Part 2**

_----------------_

**A/N: **Sorry for the longer break than I thought I would take. With Winter semester of school starting, I had to take a week-plus off to get everything straight. But I want to thank misanthropic angel, Diamond Moonlight, and macalaniaprincess again for the reviews and for taking the time to read this. I should be able to finish this story within a month or two, but I don't want to 100 guarantee this because the last time I said I would be done in a short amount of time, it didn't happen, LOL. And again, thanks to everyone who's taking the time to read this, I appreciate it.

_----------------_

Carefully placing his gray backpack onto his bed, Mr. Cloud Strife placed his rough chin, a little hairy from a few hairs starting to grow, to rest between his thumb and curled index finger in thought. Unpacking the backpack to withdraw the bag containing a few wardrobe changes to make just in case Tifa had changed clothes as well as Cloud correctly anticipated, thoughts began to flow into his head, serving to defeat the courage left in his mind.

_Remember…don't think about victory, nor defeat. Just do it. Just be in the moment._

Having changed into a nice, light warm brown button up shirt and light gray slacks that Barret surprisingly recommended that he should buy, Cloud suddenly came across a stumbling block to finishing his wardrobe change.

_These damn shoelaces…they just won't stay tied SHUT._

Sitting down onto the end of the bed, Cloud angrily bent over to finish tying his new light brown Aldo casual shoes that he had purchased. Standing up to grab the backpack containing the surprise he had in store for Tifa, he made his way to the staircase as he took in a deep, relaxing breath and slowly let it release from his nostrils.

_Well, here it goes._

_----------------_

"Hit me, dealer."

"…"

"…21 baby!"

"Goddamn Cid, this is 'da 5th time in a row you done won 'dis game!"

Barret shook his right hand in slight anger as Cid grinned from ear to ear. Wrapping his gloved hands around his multi colored chips assembled messily in a large pile, the pilot moved them toward his end of the table and nodded at the dealer before leaving the table with his winnings.

It had been several hours since they had been at the new Edge Casino built on the outskirts of town, not including the several hours it took for the both of them to drive there and the other moments of getting lost in-between that time period.

"…I guess you can say it's a knack."

"Knack my ass!"

"Well, at least you still won a few other games earlier."

Cid stopped chuckling between his words as he gently patted Barret once on the back to help him feel better, in a friendly way of course.

"I know, but man…" The big former AVALANCHE leader shook his head, feeling habitually into his pocket with his right hand. "I messed up 'n spent all o' my money on those next games 'n lost everything…"

"It's alright though," Cid and Barret walked toward the exit of the casino leading to the dark red illuminated parking structure, shining brightly as if it were a sort of beacon to let the world know of the building's presence. "At least it wasn't me that was kickin' your ass."

"…"

Cid stopped a few feet behind Barret to get out a few more bent-over laughs from his gut, laughing heavily at his own joke.

"Hah, hah, hah," Barret mocked Cid's outburst of behavior, almost laughing himself. "Very funny. Let's just get back to Tifa's, it's almost midnight."

"Yeah you're right."

"Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a sock outside the front door since we've been gone so long."

"You've got a sick mind Cid, ya know that?"

"Come on, you know I'm not the only one thinking that."

"Actually, you was man."

_----------------_

"And then he said, 'No! I didn't say it was a SAD dog, I said it was a MAD dog!'"

Tifa giggled at Cloud's small joke, unknowingly stroking her thin glass of white wine up and down in a slow, rhythmic pace as she continued to stare into Cloud's captivating green eyes. The both of them sitting at the bar section of the room side by side, Tifa casually crossed her left leg over her right, her left sandal habitually dangling off the tip of her foot.

"Yeah, that's one of my favorite shows…"

"Tifa, if you don't mind…what do you think was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?" Cloud carefully took a small sip of his white wine, making sure none of it spilled from the rim onto his clothes as he noticed he tended to have a habit of doing so. Remembering the many words Barret had said to him on the trip to Edge, he smiled at Tifa as she returned the same expression back.

'_Remember Spike…first impressions are everything… keep your cool.'_

"Wow…I guess I'd say…when we were both at the Chocobo Square at the Gold Saucer a few years ago while on our quest to defeat Sephiroth. And, I remember…I had chosen my pink Chocobo and named her 'Perky' because she was so energetic!" Tifa took another taste from her glass, almost realizing that she was almost done with her serving. "And…I remember I was wearing that short black skirt and white tanktop that I wore during that time. One of the things I remember about that outfit was that it was hard to stay put because the material it was made out of was so – oooooo slippery! And --"

_Tifa's really opening up & I've barely said anything for the past 15 minutes. _Cloud took a moment to stare a little more concentrated into the brunette's glowing light brown eyes. Continuing to gesture contently with her hands to help illustrate her story, Cloud continued to listen. _She's almost…excited to talk to me, it seems?_

"—And I was on Perky's saddle, and we had to start the race, but I wasn't ready to grip onto the saddle completely, and I ended up landing stomach first onto the saddle! It was so embarrassing, but I remember seeing you in the crowd during the race…and…you were encouraging me, as if I was still doing great. I still remember that to this day, Cloud."

_Wow, did I just say that?_

"You know I'll be supporting you Tifa," Cloud touched Tifa lightly on the forearm to emphasize his point, brushing a small spike of hair from his left eye. "Besides, I had bet on you and I didn't want to lose."

Smiling at the last remark that came out of his mouth, Tifa Lockheart began to laugh some more as she threw her head back slightly and played with her hair a little bit.

'_And Spike, when you've got her laughing 'n it's 'da highest moment of 'da date or whatever, bounce outta there & talk to her later.'_

"Well…it's almost midnight Teef, we'd better get ready for bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Yeah…Yuffie & Vincent are gonna be here! I can't wait!"

"Yeah…tomorrow should be a good day."

"…"

"…"

"…Cloud, would you mind if…since it's a little dark and everything…if you could walk with me…"

"…Your room's only down the hall from mine, so it's no problem at all."

Cloud managed to read Tifa's mind, knowing that it wouldn't be a waste of time to walk with her to her room. Cloud knew that it tended to get very dark around the midnight hour. The lights lit outside would shut off around this hour due to new Edge policies passed to conserve energy. Cloud gently grabbed Tifa by the hand as she got off of her stool, the female fighter slightly blushing at this abrupt gesture made by the blonde man before her.

'_But Barret, how will I know it's the right time?'_

'_You jus' got ta' feel her out, Spike. And besides, it's better 'ta try than ta' not try at all. Man, I'd rather have faced either victory or defeat than to not try nothin' at all.' _

"Cloud…" Tifa whispered very lightly in a flattered but surprise tone, knowing that it would not be heard by him but only to her. Completing the two sets of stairs connecting to the second floor, Tifa continued to follow right behind Cloud as she felt the strong, yet soft touch of Cloud's hand. Reaching her bedroom door, Cloud turned to face Tifa who had a small smile on her face as she started to get lost in Cloud's eyes once again. Looking down to his lips for a split second and then back to his eyes, Tifa suddenly felt a small warm fluttering feeling flow through her stomach.

'_You jus' got ta' feel her out, Spike…'_

'_Here goes…'_

Gently placing his left, strong hand on her right shoulder, Cloud carefully moved a few strands of hair hanging in front of her eye out of the way and leaned in closer toward her face. Feeling his warm, soft lips touching hers, Tifa let out a soft moan as she closed her eyes and wrapped her left arm around the blonde warrior's broad back. Returning the kiss, Tifa sensed soon after that the comfortable aura of Cloud's lips had left her presence, yet she could still feel his warm body next to hers. Opening her eyes, Tifa saw his lips spaced only a few inches apart from hers as she herself pushed toward Cloud to give a passionate kiss. Opening the door behind her with her free right hand, Tifa started to back up toward the bed with Cloud still on her, playing 'tit-for-tat' with each kiss given. Moaning a little bit louder as she could feel Cloud's touch of his lips on her neck and shoulders, Tifa lay herself down on the bed as Cloud managed to unknowingly pin Tifa down on her back.

'_Wow…this is it…Tifa Lockheart, my first…and hopefully, my last.'_

'_I can't believe this is happening. Cloud Strife…my first…and hopefully, my last.'_

_----------------_

"Yooooooo, anyone still awake in here?"

"Damnit Cid, calm 'yo ass down! It's 2 in 'da mornin'! Cloud 'n Tifa are asleep!"

"We'll see about that."

Barret quietly closed the front door behind him as Cid already was a few steps ahead of the big man, carefully climbing the staircase to the second floor. Knocking on Cloud's bedroom door, he opened it to find no one inside. Scratching the back of his head, Cid shook his head at the idea that popped into his head.

_I guess Cloud went out somewhere for the night. He's always doin' that._

Walking down a few more steps to Tifa's bedroom, Cid thought for a moment but decided to knock on the door anyway. Hearing silence, the blonde pilot decided to slowly open the door, noticing that no light was on compared to Cloud's room, but there was no sound to be heard except for light breathing which could be easily recognized as someone sleeping. Peeking inside to see if Tifa was alright, Cid's eyes widened in surprise from what he saw in front of him which was contrary to what he believed would be the result and closed the door as quickly as he had opened it.

"Well I'll be damned."


End file.
